Place Pilots evaluation – project impact case studies

In April 2024, Steer Economic Development was commissioned by the Office of Government Property (OGP), through the One Public Estate (OPE) programme to evaluate the Place Pilots initiative. The evaluation assesses how effectively the Place Pilot model facilitates change within government’s estate systems, with a focus on strategic outcomes, scalability, and identifying barriers that may impede broader adoption. 

The evaluation aims to generate robust evidence to inform central government thinking on the future design and scaling of place-based property models. It explores how these models can encourage more collaborative working between central and local government to unlock efficiencies, foster regeneration, and embed a stronger ‘place-based’ approach into asset management strategies.

Overview of the Place Pilot initiative

The Place Pilots initiative was designed as a proof-of-concept programme to bring together multiple public estate owners, local authorities, NHS bodies, central government departments, and other agencies under shared leadership to trial innovative models of estate management. The main objectives of this initiative included:

• Fostering collaborative planning: Bringing different organisations to jointly develop estate strategies aligned with local priorities.
• Optimising investments: Leveraging efficiencies through co-location, land assembly, retrofit, disposals, and re-use strategies to better meet service needs.
• Embedding a place-based approach: Incorporating local growth and development strategies into estate planning, including mapping estate assets against opportunity areas.
• Scaling and replication: Testing new approaches to inform future policies and enable wider adoption across government.

Following initial scoping activities, including the development of selection criteria, the OPE partnered with five places of different scales for an 18-month pilot phase. The five pilot areas were Derby, Hull, London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Hackney and Newham, Sheffield, and West Midlands Combined Authority area.

The pilots involved:

• formal designation as pilot areas
• launch between November 2022 and April 2023
• award of £500,000 in revenue funding to each pilot to support delivery
• conclusion between September 2024 and March 2025 (with four pilots receiving extensions to complete delivery).

The pilots were designed to act as catalysts for strategic asset review, data sharing, regeneration planning, and partnership development. They aimed to test approaches in varied contexts, ranging from city centre regeneration to land assembly for housing and economic growth. Within the pilots, some projects took a more data-oriented focus (e.g., Sheffield dashboard), while others concentrated on land use and master-planning (e.g., Hull’s Colonial Street). The evaluation sought to assess the strategic impacts of the pilots and inform future policy development around place-based estate strategies.

Evaluation approach

The evaluation was delivered in two phases:

Phase 1 (Process Evaluation) included 15 stakeholder consultations and a comprehensive desk review of pilot delivery plans to assess the setup, governance, collaboration and early implementation. These findings were summarised in a PowerPoint report to inform Spending Review discussions and included in Annex F.

Phase 2 (Impact Evaluation), the focus of this report focused on five in-depth case studies, selected as examples of best practice, to understand the strategic impacts, delivery models and the key enablers/barriers of the Place Pilot initiative.

Methodology

Phase 2 aims to provide an overarching assessment of:

• the effectiveness of Place Pilots as a mechanism for effecting change
• the key characteristics of the programme which enabled its success
• the main barriers and challenges, and potential solutions.

The approach was predominantly qualitative, with a focus on capturing learning and understanding the nuanced impacts across political, organisational, and operational levels. The case study selection aimed to cover a representative range of activities supported by the pilots, including data mapping, land redevelopment, and joint estate strategies.

Each case study is informed by roundtable discussions with a cross-sector mix of local and central government partners involved in the design or delivery of each project, alongside a desk review of lessons learned logs and monitoring reports.

An overview of the case studies is detailed in Table 1. The findings from across the five case studies are summarised in this report. The full write ups of all case studies are presented in the Appendix.

Structure of this report 

The remainder of this report is structured as follows:

Chapter 2: Key strategic impacts – Summarises the tangible outcomes achieved across the pilots, including collaboration, data sharing, regeneration and strategic alignment.

Chapter 3: Enablers and barriers – Details the factors that facilitated success, such as funding, leadership and governance, as well as challenges like data fragmentation, engagement issues and resource constraints.

Chapter 4: Legacy and sustaining success – Explores how impacts are being embedded and maintained beyond the pilot period, considering institutionalisation, future plans and ongoing governance.

Chapter 5: Lessons learned and recommendations – Draws on insights from the case studies and stakeholder feedback to offer practical guidance for future place-based programmes.

Appendix A-E: Full project case studies – Provides detailed descriptions of each key project in each pilot, their specific approaches, outputs and lessons learned.

Key messages 

• The Place Pilot model enabled new ways of working that improved how public assets are planned, aligned, and leveraged to meet local priorities.
• The pilots have strengthened cross-sector collaboration, fostering new partnerships, shared strategies, and more joined-up working between local and central government agencies.
• Governance structures have been established or revitalised, such as land boards and working groups, to support sustained, cross-sector coordination and decision-making.
• Regeneration delivery has been accelerated, by overcoming local capacity constraints, unlocking stalled projects and enabling faster development of business cases and technical studies.
• Local ambition has been raised, supporting a shift from isolated projects to long-term, place-led transformation with clearer investment propositions.
• Pilots have aligned activity with local priorities and strategic plans, ensuring projects were embedded within broader regeneration agendas and responsive to community needs.
• The Place Pilot model has demonstrated that targeted funding can catalyse substantial strategic and operational changes in estate planning and delivery, when combined with high levels of support, leadership, governance and strategic focus.

Introduction

The pilots contributed to meaningful progress in how public estate is planned, utilised, and aligned with local goals. They achieved tangible benefits, such as stronger partnerships, improved data tools, accelerated regeneration, and shifts towards place-led development.

Strategic impacts

Enhanced cross sector collaboration

A core impact across the pilots was the strengthening and enhancement of cross-sector collaboration. The pilots built collective strategic capacity by fostering new and deeper relationships between local authorities, NHS bodies, central government departments, and other public sector organisations. This collaboration was underpinned by an increased understanding of partner organisations, for example, their prioritises and operational realities. As well as the development of new shared products, such as intelligence dashboards and jointly owned and developed strategies.

In many areas, Pilot activity created new/stronger connections with central government departments that had either not previously existed or which were not close, creating opportunities for more place-based collaboration.

For example, the Colonial Street pilot in Hull reviewed the needs of 800 employees, including those employed by NHS England, Humberside Police and HM Land Registry, through a Public Sector Accommodation Study, laying a foundation for future collaborative working. In addition, existing local partnerships were often strengthened. In Barking, close working between the NHS and local authority enabled early and coordinated planning of social infrastructure to support housing growth.

As well as aligning around key local priorities, the pilots provided a platform for understanding the operational realities of different partners, such as funding models, estate constraints, and governance structures, in particular with NHS partners. This resulted in more productive, targeted discussions and the identification of shared priorities.

New and more collaborative governance structures

The pilots also helped establish or strengthen governance mechanisms to support cross-organisational coordination. In most areas, dedicated working groups or boards oversaw delivery, bringing together partners from across local and central government. These structures enabled joint decision-making and collective oversight, playing a key role in convening partners to oversee and deliver the pilot effectively.

Looking beyond the pilot period, several areas are now seeking to sustain this collaborative approach through more permanent governance arrangements. In Barking, the pilot contributed to the formation of the North-East London Land Board, designed to coordinate investment and planning across borough boundaries and NHS geographies. In Hull, the pilot prompted the merging and revival of the previously dormant One Public Estate Boards for Hull and East Riding. These structures are central to sustaining the delivery momentum initiated by the pilots.

Accelerated delivery and raised ambition

The pilots have played a pivotal role in accelerating progress on key regeneration initiatives. In several cases, the funding and dedicated resources enabled areas to move more quickly in developing business cases than they otherwise would have. This included the delivery of feasibility studies and technical assessments, which would have otherwise faced delays due to capacity or resource constraints. In this sense, the Place Pilots were instrumental in removing barriers caused by stretched local capacity which were common across all areas. For example, in Hull, the Colonial Street masterplan unlocked a stalled site by combining new technical studies with a refreshed strategic vision, helping to triple the housing potential and align public sector landowners around shared goals.

This acceleration of activity also contributed to raising local ambition and fostering a shared understanding of place-based priorities among local and national stakeholders. In Derby, the Station Gateway project supported development of a Rail Campus concept, driven by plans for the new Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters. By creating space for strategic thinking, dedicated resources for technical work and a clear rationale for stakeholder engagement, the project brought partners together to consider the Rail Campus as a defining feature of Derby’s wider regeneration ambition and accelerated planned activity by at least six months.

Across these examples, the Pilots have helped to shift the focus from isolated project delivery to strategic, place-led transformation, through clearer investment propositions. They have also strengthened partner alignment and enhanced technical understanding. positioning these areas to more effectively bid for and deliver major regeneration projects.

Alignment with long-term place-based strategies and needs

The flexibility of the programme, in terms of its broad objectives, allowed areas to shape delivery around local priorities, ensuring alignment with existing strategies. All five projects built upon existing regeneration or strategic asset plans, reflecting their importance to their local areas. For example:

• Barking incorporated social infrastructure planning into housing-led urban regeneration strategies.
• Hull re-positioned Colonial Street within the wider city centre renewal and economic development plans.
• Sheffield used socio-economic data (e.g., deprivation indices) to prioritise estate improvements targeting the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

This alignment ensures that pilot outputs are relevant, politically supported and directly contribute to broader regeneration objectives.

Place Pilots as a mechanism for effecting change

The initiative demonstrated that funding, combined with a high level of support, (£500,000 per pilot) can catalyse significant strategic and operational change. The combination of funding, strategic engagement, local leadership, and governance structures enabled areas to:

• overcome long standing barriers such as stalled sites
• develop comprehensive data, masterplans, and strategic frameworks
• strengthen internal and cross-sector connectivity
• improve prospects for bids on regeneration funding.

The pilots shifted organisational mindset from disparate projects to a more holistic, place-led approach that prioritises long-term outcomes, facilitating greater integration and resource leveraging.

Key messages

Understanding what supports and hinders the impact of the pilots offers critical lessons for designing future place-based estate development programmes.

• Dedicated revenue funding has created space for strategic capacity, project management and technical work, overcoming local capacity constraints and encouraging longer-term thinking. Without this funding, Place Pilot projects would likely not have happened – or at least not with the same pace and priority.
• Agreement to collaborate, combined with a positive, pragmatic approach to partnership working has strengthened cross-sector engagement and led to the development of shared opportunities.
• The flexible Place Pilot model allowed pilots to align projects with local priorities, accelerating buy-in and momentum.
• Senior local leadership and new or revived governance structures (e.g. One Public Estate (OPE) Boards, strategic groups) drove alignment and delivery, with central government supporting partnership working and adding legitimacy.
• Most areas lacked consistent, cross-sector asset data, requiring extensive cleansing and limiting early-stage strategic planning.
• Whilst OPE and the wider Cabinet Office were supportive, some other central government departments were less engaged with the Pilots, and some local stakeholders were hesitant due to scepticism about short-term initiatives.
• Short delivery windows and delayed mobilisation (often reliant on external consultants) limited the ability to fully embed or test new tools and ways of working.
• Timely, consistent pilot programme guidance with clear objectives enables effective mobilisation and alignment, reducing the risk of confusion or delays.
• Differences in governance and operational realities slowed some early progress and required dedicated effort to bridge understanding and align priorities.

Introduction

The Pilots have demonstrated that relatively modest but targeted funding and activities can unlock progress on longstanding estate challenges such as stalled regeneration, complex site planning, and fragmented data, when combined with high levels of support, leadership, governance and strategic focus. By providing a clear reason to collaborate, alongside dedicated resources and space for strategic thinking and creative problem solving, the pilots enabled new ways of working to be tested. They also drove cross-sector collaboration and long-term planning that would have been difficult under business-as-usual conditions. However, the Pilots also faced barriers that limited the scale of impact achievable within the timeframe.

Enablers

Dedicated funding and strategic capacity

A critical enabler was the provision of dedicated revenue (RDEL) funding, which, although modest in scale, gave areas the space and resource to step back from day-to-day operational pressures and engage in long-term, strategic thinking.    Without dedicated revenue funding the pilot projects would not have taken place, or at least not at the same pace, scale or priority. The funding enabled the recruitment of project managers and technical experts, as well as the commissioning of feasibility studies, masterplans and data tool development. This added strategic capacity was pivotal in unlocking opportunities, accelerating regeneration initiatives and raising ambition levels.

Building on this strategic capacity, revenue funding was also used across some case study projects to re-energise stalled or long-term regeneration plans. In some instances, this involved bringing in new partners and organisations to explore fresh options; in others, it meant reconvening existing stakeholders around refreshed ideas or evidence. By combining renewed capacity and technical work with strengthened collaboration, pilot areas were able to overcome barriers that had previously limited progress, creating shared ownership and momentum. For example. For example, in Hull, partners refreshed the Colonial Street masterplan with new perspectives, unlocking a previously stalled site. In Derby, funding supported the Rail Campus launch event, which convened over 280 stakeholders to foster a shared ambition around the concept.

Enhanced cross-sector collaboration

The pilots provided a formal structure for collaborative working, giving legitimacy and momentum to efforts that might otherwise have been seen as “a nice to have”. This was reinforced by pragmatic, relationship-focused leadership that recognised each partner’s operational realities and constraints. The combination of dedicated resource, a clear reason for collaboration and flexibility proved highly effective in strengthening cross-sector relationships, while also enhancing understanding of both opportunities and
barriers to joint working. Sheffield’s long-list of opportunities, identified by 27 partners, exemplifies how organised stakeholder engagement can create a pipeline for future investments.

Flexibility and local ownership

The broad objectives of the Place Pilots programme combined with a decentralised approach, allowed areas to tailor the pilot activities to their local circumstances, priorities and existing strategies. This flexibility increased stakeholder-buy in and relevance. Hull’s decision to refresh the Colonial Street regeneration masterplan, and Derby’s focus on their strategic priority – the Rail Campus – reflect the effectiveness of flexible, locally-driven approaches.

Effective leadership and governance

Strong local leadership, especially from chief executives and senior officers, was crucial for mobilising internal support. This enabled the allocation of resources, protected time for strategic work and navigated bureaucracies.

Support from central government, through the Government Chief Property Officer and the OPE team, added credibility and supported engagement across Whitehall departments.

Governance structures, like strategic working groups and OPE advisory boards, provided oversight, maintained strategic focus and allowed timely decision-making often critical in complex multi-organisation projects. These structures will play a key role in sustaining momentum beyond the pilot period.

Barriers and challenges

Fragmented and incomplete public estate data

A predominant challenge was the widespread inconsistency and incompleteness of asset data. Many public bodies operate separate from each other, often using outdated records, making it difficult to visualise total estate portfolios, understand ownership, or identify opportunities.

Developing shared data tools like Sheffield’s Dashboard or Wolverhampton’s property register was resource-intensive due to the need for data cleansing, standardisation and integration. Whilst these tools produce key insights, their sustainability and long-term value depends on ongoing data governance and technical support, which is often limited by capacity constraints.

Variable engagement and buy-in

Success in securing buy-in across both local and central government varied across the Pilots. Whilst the Cabinet Office and OPE teams were actively engaged, involvement from other central government departments was mixed. Programme awareness across departments remained limited, often requiring OPE and local teams to utilise their networks to secure engagement. Stronger cross-departmental coordination and promotion to champion the programme are needed. Stakeholders reflected that clearer, more consistent communication across central government would have helped strengthen departmental buy-in and support

At the local level, some partners remained sceptical and hesitant to engage, with concerns that the initiative may be a short-term programme with limited support from government. This hesitancy limited collaboration in some areas. In contrast, where pilots achieved strong engagement, it was often due to project partners investing significantly in relationship-building and inclusive, co-designed governance approaches, as well as support from the OPE teams to “open doors”.

Timelines, resource constraints and guidance

While the flexibility of the Place Pilot model was widely valued, time and resource pressures made it difficult for local areas to quickly agree objectives, track progress and communicate effectively with central government. Allowing more time for the co-design of objectives, introducing clearer guidance and milestone targets from the outset could have helped maintain focus and momentum, particularly during the early stages.

The pilot funding did successfully kickstart momentum in many areas; however the relatively short pilot duration (initially 18 months with some extensions) limited some areas’ ability to fully implement, embed or expand outputs. In addition, existing constraints on local capacity and priorities, made it challenging for areas to focus on strategic planning, data updates or partnership development. Many areas were only able to fully mobilise once external support was commissioned, which reduced the time available to develop and test outputs or implement new ways of working. As a result, some projects did not achieve their full intended impact. For example, the WMCA’s Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR) could not fully integrate socio-economic data within the pilot window, limiting its strategic value. Although four pilots received extensions, several, particularly the data-focused ones, indicated that a longer timeframe would have enabled live testing and better integration into local systems. It was also noted that funding resource was also a constraint in this regard, with areas using the pilot funding across multiple projects.

Cross-organisational knowledge gaps

Differences in governance, operational models and priorities across cross-sector partners caused some delays in convening and in joint decision-making during the early project phases. Bridging these gaps required deliberate effort from project leads to convene partners and clarify objectives. A good example of this is the WMCA’s Pilot team’s development of shared planning tools, such as a partner workbook, which helped identify overlapping priorities and align collaboration effectively.

Sustaining momentum post-pilot

Most pilot areas recognise the importance of consolidating their achievements and are establishing formal governance mechanisms such as Land Boards, strategic working groups and in some cases reviving OPE Boards to sustain strategic oversight, coordinate ongoing projects and embed collaboration into business-as-usual systems.

Relationships that were built during the pilot among local authorities, NHS partners, police services and central government are viewed as enduring assets for longer-term place-based working. Shared tools developed also offer valuable evidence bases for future planning, if maintained with dedicated governance and technical support.

Challenges to sustaining impact

Despite the positive momentum, maintaining tool usefulness, data accuracy and cross-sector engagement remains challenging without continuous resources. Data tools, particularly dashboards, require regular updates and management, which many areas are not currently resourced to support.

Some projects continue to face viability barriers, such as land values or market uncertainty that extend beyond the pilot’s influence. Continued focus and resources are needed to translate feasibility work into long-term regeneration plans. Partners should ensure that communication channels with local stakeholders and central government departments remain open, to enable the benefits identified to be fully realised.

Long-term strategies and future risks

Longer-term success depends on embedding pilot outputs into business-as-usual routines, such as estate management systems and planning processes. Achieving this requires ongoing strategic buy-in and financial support. Multi-year funding streams and dedicated capacity for data maintenance, stakeholder engagement and delivery oversight are vital, but, recognising that this project was a pilot, there is no obvious funding source or mechanism for doing this. It is therefore incumbent on pilot areas to identify potential funding sources for this work, which could include future OPE programmes, local resource (e.g. Combined Authorities) or funding contributions from project partners.

The relationships and governance mechanisms established during the pilot provide a foundation but need to be formalised within local and regional institutions to ensure resilience and continuity.

Lessons learned

Dedicated resource is essential to drive delivery

Most projects only advanced after commissioning consultancy support. Limited local capacity at the outset meant many areas mobilised only once consultants were engaged, reducing the time available to test outputs or embed new ways of working, and leading to four out of five pilots to request extensions. Consequently, some projects fell short of their full impact. While consultants offered valuable support, sustainable delivery requires increased in-house capacity with local knowledge and continuity.

Balance between flexible programme and clear guidance

The flexibility of the Place Pilot model was widely valued, as it allowed local areas to tailor projects to their specific needs and build buy-in. However, this flexibility, combined with time and resource pressures, made it difficult for areas to quickly agree objectives, track progress and communicate effectively with central government.

Unclear or ambiguous project scopes can hinder partner buy-in

Data tools, by their innovative nature, often have ambiguous scopes, making it difficult for stakeholders to initially understand their purpose or potential value. This can make engagement harder to secure. To address this, projects should set out a clear vision for the tool, explaining its intended use, and demonstrate its value through live problem-solving examples. Conversely, activities like feasibility studies and master planning typically have well-defined scopes but still require effort to reframe partner engagement around asset management, service delivery and needs-based assessments.

Data tools are resource-intensive but potentially very valuable if embedded and sustained

Data tools are resource-intensive to develop due to fragmented and inconsistent public estate data that requires significant cleaning and standardisation. However, when successfully embedded into business-as-usual processes, they offer lasting value by enabling strategic decision-making, increasing transparency and creating a shared evidence base. Their long-term success depends on local ownership and sustained resources for maintenance and updates.

Strategic relationship building is resource intensive

Building meaningful relationships across public sector organisations takes time, trust, and dedicated resource. Early engagement, during the scoping and mobilisation phases of the Pilots, was essential in generating a shared vision and securing buy-in from a broad range of partners.

Opportunities for peer learning and local adaptation

Pilot areas showed a strong interest to learn from one another, including around technical tools and engagement approaches, highlighting the potential value of sharing successful approaches for scaling and replication.

Long term funding and support is crucial

Many pilots raised concerns about sustaining momentum beyond the initial Place Pilot funding period. Given the nature of the pilot, there was no intention to provide follow-on funding as part of this process. However, without ongoing funding and partner commitment, there is a risk that tools and approaches developed are not embedded in future ways of working. Many pilot areas are actively exploring opportunities for resource to sustain momentum, and consideration of how to embed activity and maximise value could form part of the project development process on future schemes.

Recommendations

Drawing on these lessons learned, the following recommendations are proposed to strengthen future place-based public estate programmes:

• Provide structured support during mobilisation – While flexible delivery models are valuable, clear guidance on governance, resourcing expectations and reporting during programme setup is essential. Allowing more time for co-designing objectives, alongside clear milestone targets, can help maintain focus and momentum.
• Invest in relationship-building from the outset – Future programmes should continue to ensure that there is a mobilisation phase which provides dedicated time and funding for early engagement. This should support the development of a shared vision, stakeholder mapping and co-design of project scopes to ensure early alignment and commitment.
• Support in-house capacity – To maximise benefits, projects should focus on upskilling staff and building internal knowledge to ensure continuity, strengthen partner engagement, and embed outcomes sustainably over the long term.
• Strengthen central government coordination – Enhance cross-departmental ownership by clearly defining roles for relevant Whitehall departments, appointing dedicated programme champions at local and national levels, and improving alignment between pilot activities and broader government strategies like Net Zero and economic growth to boost relevance and impact.
• Sustain and embed successful data tools – Where data tools or dashboards are developed, plans should consider up front how to maintain and embed these tools into business-as-usual operations. Implementation of national shared data platform (InSite) will support partners to recognise opportunities to maximise assets and deliver improved services across areas.
• Build in peer learning and knowledge exchange – Future programmes should include mechanisms for places to share tools, templates and experiences.
• Future programmes should give careful consideration to the most appropriate geographic boundaries – To take into account the administrative boundaries of key stakeholders. While many pilot outputs proved scalable and replicable beyond their local context, aligning delivery with geographies that partners already recognise can help build on existing relationships, leverage trust and streamline coordination
• Commit to longer-term funding horizons – To sustain partner momentum and embed change, future programmes should provide multi-year funding, allowing places to integrate initiatives into long-term planning and investment strategies beyond the pilot phase.

Project overview – Data for joint planning

• Sheffield City Council have successfully created a shared, city-wide asset dashboard integrating data from 27 public sector partners.
• The tool maps over 4,000 public assets and overlays them with need-based data (e.g., deprivation indices), to support evidence-led service planning.
• By providing a consistent, shared evidence base, the dashboard supports strategic alignment and informed decision-making across partners.
• Customisable access settings and a “two-way” data-sharing model reassured some initially hesitant partners that they could both contribute and benefit from the tool, encouraging broader participation.
• The built-in “opportunity search” function helps users combine geospatial and socio-economic data to identify sites with development potential, service gaps, or investment needs.
• Through the project a long-list of place-based opportunities was developed, including the identification of approximately 210 opportunities for collaboration or co-location, creating a pipeline for future strategic planning.
• The dashboard has already supported practical applications, including neighbourhood hub planning and electric vehicle depot reviews - demonstrating its value in supporting more efficient use of public resources and ‘place and people
  focused’ decision making.
• While the dashboard build has been successful and the output is proving valuable to partners, its long-term impact depends on ongoing data maintenance and sustained resourcing.

Overview

The Sheffield Dashboard is a digital, interactive mapping tool designed to support strategic planning and decision-making across Sheffield’s public sector. The dashboard integrates over 4,000 assets from 27 public organisations, combining spatial "place" data (e.g. flood zones, local plan policies) with socio-economic "people" data (e.g. Index of Multiple Deprivation). This combination enables users to visualise spatial and socio-economic data, supporting more informed service planning.

The project was led by Sheffield City Council (SCC), in partnership with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), the NHS, the Government Property Agency (GPA), HLM Architects and Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) consultants. The tool is hosted by HLM Architects on behalf of SCC, who hold the majority of the data.

Context and key aims

Prior to Place Pilots, Sheffield did not have an integrated, visual database of public assets, with the capability to overlay socio-economic data. The project sought to address this by creating a single, centralised platform for sharing deeper intelligence between partners. It set out to create a shared, strategic tool that public sector organisations could use collaboratively to tackle estate planning and service delivery challenges such as complex land deals and opportunities for estate rationalisation. By enabling users to combine data on community needs with information about physical sites, the dashboard helps partners make more informed decisions based on a more complete and shared view of the local area.

Over time, the project's vision expanded from its initial focus on two opportunity areas - neighbourhood hubs and co-locations and identified nine opportunity typologies: workspace co-location; operational co-location; housing opportunities; innovation opportunities; regeneration opportunities; land assembly opportunity; biodiversity improvement; and mobility hub potential.

Key activities and partner engagement

• At the pilot mobilisation stage, SCC established a Strategic Group, comprising NHS, SYMCA, universities, and the Government Property Agency (GPA) to provide strategic oversight and secure early buy-in.
• Prior to the project, there was limited collaboration between these stakeholders, especially as existing networks had lost momentum following COVID-19.
• SCC took a proactive lead in engaging partners around data sharing, leveraging established relationships with SYMCA to access datasets from the police and fire services.
• Alongside partner-supplied data and national EPIMs (Electronic Property Information Mapping Service) datasets, the dashboard was designed to incorporate strategic, need-based data to support more holistic service planning. This enhanced functionality was a key value-add and key to securing partner engagement.
• Initial hesitancy, particularly from universities, around data privacy and strategic alignment was addressed through a transparent approach, flexible access settings, and the concept of ‘two-way’ data sharing, which reassured partners of mutual benefits.
• Targeted workshops with all asset-holding organisations and a dashboard familiarisation day helped build trust, improve understanding, and showcase the dashboard’s practical benefits, addressing challenges around articulating the
  project’s vision and strategic value.

Impact assessment

Strategic impacts

• Improved cross-organisational relationships: The dashboard project created opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, bringing together a wider group of stakeholders. The NHS emerged as a key partner, playing a central role in sustaining momentum and strategic alignment.
• Enhanced collective strategic capacity: The project has helped partners come together to share challenges and priorities related to the public estate, increasing awareness of city-wide asset issues. The dashboard has supported these conversations by providing a consistent, evidence-based view of the city’s assets, strengthening collective strategic capacity across Sheffield’s public sector.
• Alignment with wider strategies and visions: The dashboard was deliberately designed to align with Sheffield’s broader strategies, including the “Vision for Sheffield.” Features such as the ‘opportunity search’ tool, developed through a combination of architectural expertise and engagement with public sector organisations, allow users to combine spatial and socio-economic data to identify strategically significant sites. Integrated data on social value, planning, and environmental factors further supports place and people focused decision-making.

Operational impacts

• Evidence-led pipeline development and strategic planning: A key operational outcome has been the creation of a long list of place-based development opportunities, establishing a clear pipeline for future investment and efficiency gains. This includes the identification of approximately 210 opportunities for collaboration or co-location. The dashboard provides robust, objective data on local needs and investment priorities enabling more targeted planning at both neighbourhood and city scales. Working groups have been formed around each asset typology (e.g. land assembly opportunity; biodiversity improvement), using this evidence base to inform cross-sector decisions.
• Cost savings, operational efficiencies, and pipeline creation: The project team is actively measuring the dashboard’s financial benefits, recognising its potential to drive efficiencies and reduce costs while supporting long-term strategic planning.
• Holistic asset planning for service delivery: So far, SYMCA has used the dashboard to assess bus depots across the region, evaluate electric vehicle charging potential, land disposals, and acquisition opportunities. This reflects a shift from siloed asset management to a more integrated, city-wide view of how assets can support public service delivery. NHS partners are also exploring the tool to coordinate their estate strategies.

Sustaining impact

• While the dashboard has been successfully built and has demonstrated its value through a number of use cases, sustaining its impact over the long term will require ongoing data maintenance and updates, ideally every six months. Ongoing discussions are focused on how to maintain and update the tool, but long-term funding remains uncertain. Despite strong collaborative intent, sustaining the resource poses a key challenge.

Our aspiration is to drive collaboration, and the biggest challenge is funding it [the dashboard in the future] and making sure we get the biggest benefit

Place Pilot stakeholder

Key enablers of success

• Strategic leadership: SCC led the project, contributing the majority of the data and demonstrating strong buy-in to the Place Pilot model.
• Dedicated revenue funding: SCC’s allocated dedicated resources to coordinate the project and commission technical partners (HLM Architects and RLB Consultants), who brought the capacity and expertise to develop a high-quality, functional tool.
• Senior-level engagement: Partnerships with senior-level stakeholders enabled quick decision making around data sharing, helping to maintain project momentum and reduce activity lulls or blockers.
• Partner coordination: The Strategic Group and SCC-led workshops with a broader set of partners, ensured clear communication, meaningful engagement, and practical understanding of the tool.
• Place-based design: Importantly, the tool was positioned not just as an asset-focused database but as a service-focused planning resource, aligned to local priorities, visions and strategies. This helped to drive engagement, amongst a broad range of partners.
• Flexible timing: While the project experienced a slow start, the team intentionally avoided rushing the process in favour of creating a robust and well-designed output. The extended delivery period allowed time to build trust, refine the tool, and ensure a robust, user-focused product.

Barriers, challenges and solutions

Initial engagement and momentum

• Early stakeholder engagement was resource-intensive and had to overcome scepticism due to past short-term central government initiatives and daily operational pressures.
• The team recognised that demonstrating "live problem solving" using the dashboard may have helped generate quicker engagement by showcasing the tool’s practical value.
• The earlier establishment of typology working groups would have also supported this effort, enabling continuous feedback and iteration, improving buy-in and increasing value for money.

Lack of structured guidance

• While the flexibility of the Place Pilot model was valued, the absence of early milestones made it challenging to track progress and communicate with central government.
• Introducing clearer guidance and milestone targets early on could have kept focus and momentum, especially during initial phases.

Long-term funding

• Sustaining the tool’s value depends on regular data updates and ongoing analytical support from the HLM architectural team, ensuring transparency, objectivity, and practical usability.

Lessons learned, legacy and next steps

Lessons learned

• Building trust and collaboration across sectors requires sustained effort and early senior stakeholder engagement to enable key decisions like data sharing.
• Taking time to develop an innovative, usable tool is crucial; the Place Pilot extension allowed this, resulting in a dashboard now recognised by a wide range of partners for practical, strategic value.
• Demonstrating “live problem solving” with the tool earlier could have accelerated engagement and momentum amongst a broad range of partners by showing real-world benefits.
• Incorporating flexibility and adaptability based on stakeholder feedback proved essential for maintaining partner engagement and ensuring a practical, useful output. Customisable data-sharing, leveraging partners’ datasets, and adapting the tool’s typologies helped establish its practicality and value for money.
• Early planning for sustaining impact, including long-term data updates and resource allocation, is vital to sustaining the dashboard’s relevance and impact beyond the pilot.

Legacy

The dashboard has shifted public sector thinking in Sheffield towards collaborative, evidence-led strategic planning and service delivery, by positioning data as a shared strategic asset rather than a siloed resource. It has enabled a more holistic approach to spatial planning, helping organisations align estate decisions with social and economic needs across the city. While tailored to Sheffield, the dashboard’s vision, processes, and structure are replicable and could be adopted by other local authorities or regions to make better use of existing data. There is strong interest from SYMCA in scaling the model across other areas of South Yorkshire.

Next steps

SCC’s ongoing review of its property management function may impact the project’s momentum. As the lead authority and main data holder, changes within SCC could affect dashboard rollout and maintenance, though this also presents an opportunity to embed the dashboard into the city’s property management processes.

To sustain progress, a formal Place Pilot Delivery Board is being established to bring together operational and senior stakeholders for ongoing oversight and development.

The main challenge is securing funding for future updates, due to reliance on external consultancy support. A value-for-money assessment is underway to support future investment or transition dashboard management in-house to SCC.

Project overview – collaboration and codesign

• The Wolverhampton Shared Asset Strategy brought together over 20 public sector organisations to develop a shared vision and guiding principles, build trust, enable data sharing and create a Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR) consolidating 2,019 property interests across the city.
• The CAR provides a shared, transparent dataset that underpins integrated decision-making and strategic service planning. Published on the Council’s website, it has improved visibility of asset ownership and use across sectors, with ambitions to expand the public dataset to include partner-held assets in future.
• Dedicated consultancy support from Montagu Evans, a senior officer at Wolverhampton City Council and strong local authority leadership were critical to maintaining engagement, securing partner buy-in, and driving delivery across partners.
• With 93 per cent of recorded assets under council control, the pilot revealed that future collaboration may rely less on joint ownership and more on shared themes such as decarbonisation, social value, and space utilisation, and operational coordination around asset management practices.
• An additional social value workstream, helped partners explore how estate decisions could contribute to broader outcomes. This supported a shared understanding of social value across sectors and has helped to inform discussions at a national level.
• The CAR has laid the foundation for sustained cross-sector alignment, providing a single, shared dataset that partners can use to identify synergies, align priorities, and inform future investment decisions.
• Maintaining momentum beyond the pilot will require formal governance structures, annual data updates, and ongoing dedicated resources. Embedding the approach into business-as-usual remains a key challenge but is essential for long-term impact.

Overview

The Wolverhampton Shared Asset Strategy is a strategic planning tool developed to support more collaborative and efficient use of public sector land and buildings across Wolverhampton. The project developed a shared estate vision and guiding principles, which underpinned the creation of a Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR), that brings together 2,019 property interests from over 20 public sector organisations - 93 per cent of which are under the control of the City of Wolverhampton Council.

The CAR provides a detailed picture of the scale of the city’s public estate, covering asset types, location, key asset holders and tenure. This provides a foundation for more integrated decision-making around service delivery, co-location opportunities, and estate optimisation.

The £70,080 project was led by consultancy Montagu Evans in partnership with the City of Wolverhampton Council (the Council) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The project secured commitment from 20 partner organisations, including the University of Wolverhampton, NHS Property Services, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Services (HMCTS), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Department for Education (DfE) National Highways, Staffordshire County Council, Blue Light services, and other central government departments with assets in scope.

Context and key aims

The Wolverhampton Shared Asset Strategy set a clear and ambitious goal: to develop a shared vision and action plan for the city by identifying specific collaborative projects aimed at improving public services through partnership working across Wolverhampton. The project focused on ensuring that all partners (new and existing) had the foundational tools needed to work effectively as a team. The subsequent action plan focused on establishing a set of principles to promote greater asset sharing, reduce public sector costs, support targeted regeneration, release surplus assets, and improve service integration.

Key activities and partner engagement

• A partner workbook was developed to capture each organisation’s objectives and priorities, helping to identify potential synergies and lay the groundwork for effective collaboration.
• Partners established a shared vision and guiding principles to support data sharing.
• A Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR) was created, consolidating and cleansing data from 20 public sector partners. Starting with an ePIMS baseline, Montagu Evans supplemented gaps through partner engagement and manual research.
• The final dataset included 2,019 assets, over 950 buildings and 5.6 million m² of floorspace, with 93 per cent of assets under the Council’s control. Assets were categorised by use (e.g., ‘civic’, ‘housing’, ‘care’) to support clearer analysis and decision-making.
• The CAR enabled transparent discussions and informed the development of a longlist of strategic, cross-partner opportunities. These were refined through partner feedback into five priority projects forming the Wolverhampton Place Pilot Action Plan.
• The project improved partnership working across the public estate. Previously informal or siloed relationships were brought into a more coherent and strategic network.
• New connections were formed with organisations such as LocatED and Network Rail, while existing partnerships, with local colleges, for example, were deepened through collaborative opportunity mapping.

Impact assessment

Strategic impacts

• Creation of a shared public estate vision: The project supported the development of a shared vision for Wolverhampton’s public estate, anchored by the creation of the CAR. Published on the Council’s website, the CAR has increased transparency and provided councillors, officers, and partners with new insights into asset ownership and use. There is an ambition to expand the public register to include partner-held assets in future.
• Stronger, more strategic partnerships: Developing the shared vision and guiding principles, building the CAR and creating the action plan involved in-depth engagement with over 20 public sector organisations through workshops and one-to-one discussions. This strengthened trust, improved data quality, and encouraged a more collaborative mindset around asset planning. Several previously informal or siloed relationships have matured into a coherent network focused on shared priorities.
• Embedding social value in strategic decision-making: Through collaborative working on the Shared Asset Strategy, the need to explore social value emerged as a priority. An additional social value workstream, delivered by Montagu Evans, was subsequently developed to support partners in aligning estate decisions with wider social outcomes. The findings have helped develop shared understanding across sectors and have been shared with MHCLG and other national stakeholders as a mechanism to help embed social value in strategic decision-making.

This [pilot] has forced us all to think strategically and wider than our own assets…. It gets you thinking differently about how to generate efficiencies”

Place Pilot stakeholder

Operational impacts

• Improved insight through estate analysis: The CAR enabled a detailed baseline analysis of public assets, providing new visibility into asset distribution and clustering across neighbourhoods and wards. This is supporting a shift toward a more place-based approach to estate planning.
• Broader place-based themes: With 93 per cent of recorded assets controlled by Wolverhampton Council, the emphasis has shifted from a focus on asset ownership to identifying thematic impacts (e.g. net zero, space utilisation, and social value). The project highlighted how collaboration on operational matters can drive outcomes even with a larger proportion of assets under the control of one party.
• City-wide coordination of opportunities: The project facilitated the development of a longlist and a shortlist of strategic asset opportunities across the city. A shared workbook of partner priorities also helped identify overlaps and synergies, enabling pan-partner opportunities.

Sustaining impact

• The creation of the CAR has laid the foundation for continued collaboration across partners. It provides a single, shared dataset that supports alignment on priorities and enables strategic planning across the public estate.
• Place Pilot funding was critical in resourcing the dedicated coordination and consultancy support needed to bring partners together. Looking ahead, a key challenge will be embedding the work into business-as-usual processes to ensure progress continues beyond the pilot phase.

Key enablers of success

• Strong engagement: Strong engagement from senior representatives across over 20 public sector organisations was critical to progress the project. Pre-existing networks provided a strong foundation for delivery.
• Realistic approach to engagement: The team recognised time pressures faced by partners and made participation easier by streamlining inputs and undertaking background work. This inclusive and flexible approach helped maintain engagement across busy public sector bodies.
• Leadership from the local authority: Wolverhampton Council’s leadership, as primary asset holder, provided the project with momentum and coherence. The active involvement of a senior officer helped maintain consistent engagement and facilitated strategic alignment.

Barriers, challenges and solutions

• Time-intensive development of the CAR: Compiling and cleansing data for the Comprehensive Asset Register was resource-intensive. This was anticipated, but the scale of effort required highlighted the importance of dedicated coordination capacity.
• Limited strategic scope within the pilot: Due to time and funding constraints, the pilot was unable to overlay demographic data like other pilots (e.g. Sheffield) onto the CAR. This limited opportunities to align asset strategy with service needs. The Council holds this data, and future phases may seek to build on this potential.
• Conflicting priorities and operational realities: Different partner organisations operated on varying timelines and schedules. This occasionally limited the pace of collaboration. While expected, the team responded by maintaining flexible engagement and aligning where possible.
• Tool maintenance: While the CAR has proven to be a valuable tool, resourcing challenges mean it risks becoming outdated quickly and requires regular updates to maintain long-term relevance and usefulness. A proposed solution involves consistent partner engagement to refresh data and maintain the register’s value; however, this requires dedicated resource.

Lessons learned, legacy and next steps

Lessons learned

• Timing impacts engagement: External pressures (e.g., NHS winter demand) limited full engagement from some partners, therefore future planning must factor in realistic timing expectations, varied capacity and operational realities across the public sector.
• Dedicated resource enables progress: The involvement of dedicated senior resource was critical to driving the project forward and encouraging buy-in across departments and partners.
• Data tools are time-intensive: Significant time was spent cleaning and compiling the Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR), to ensure data robustness. Updates may be less resource-intensive but will still require significant input.
• Shared digital workspace would improve coordination: A centralised platform (e.g., Teams) would have enhanced communication, data sharing, and overall project coordination.

Legacy

The Wolverhampton Place Pilot has laid a strong foundation for future collaboration and estate transformation. One of the most tangible outcomes is the development of the Place Pilot Workbook, which consolidates the shared vision, asset register (CAR), shortlisted opportunities, and a directory of partner contacts. This resource now acts as a central reference point for ongoing and future joint working.

Next steps

To ensure the continued value of this work, the pilot will need to establish a formal governance structure to take forward the Place Pilot Action Plan. This includes developing a plan to resource maintenance of the CAR, ensuring the asset register remains current and useful for future planning.

The project’s approach is transferable and scalable, presenting an opportunity for WMCA, and others, to explore replicating this approach to asset management.

Project overview – feasibility and master planning

• The project has successfully delivered a detailed masterplan and several feasibility studies to improve understanding of the viability constraints, and wider opportunities of the Colonial Street masterplan area.
• The Public Sector Accommodation Study was a key element, aligning public sector office needs with land use, creating a shared evidence base between partners.
• Feasibility work significantly increased the site's housing potential, identifying capacity for up to 450 homes (up from the Local Plan’s original 150), through broader land assembly. This marks a major contribution to Hull’s city centre housing target of 2,500 homes.
• Technical studies on infrastructure, ecology, and transport further de-risked development, increasing its appeal to investors and developers.
• The project catalysed a shift toward more integrated, place-based planning, encouraging Hull City Council (HCC) and partners to take a broader view across adjacent sites rather than treating Earle House in isolation.
• It also helped to develop a pipeline of public sector sites for potential disposal or redevelopment, using ‘core, flex, and tail’ analysis to support long-term planning across the city.
• A key operational legacy is the revival of the regional OPE Board, now re-energised to coordinate future disposals and oversee strategic public estate opportunities across Hull and East Riding.
• Sustained funding and dedicated leadership will be critical for maintaining momentum and seeing the scheme through to delivery. 

Overview

The Colonial Street Masterplan is a regeneration initiative in central Hull, aiming to unlock a complex and underutilised site for mixed-use redevelopment. Originally focused on a council-owned brownfield site, the project has expanded to include a wider ‘zone of influence’ with land owned/occupied by Hull City Council (HCC), the Government Property Agency (GPA), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and British Land. Within the masterplan, land behind St Stephen’s Shopping Centre is allocated for 225 new homes, with potential for up to 450 units through wider land assembly.

The project received £200,000 through the Place Pilot programme. Following refinement of the scope, anticipated expenditure was revised to £135,000. Expenditure has focused on a spatial masterplan for the area and technical feasibility studies, including a Public Sector Accommodation Study. Delivery has been led by HCC in collaboration with central government (GPA, DWP), British Land, LCR Consultancy (development management), and Stantec (design and technical support).

Context and key aims

Despite the sites’ central location and housing allocation in Hull’s Local Plan, development had stalled due to site abnormalities and infrastructure challenges. The Place Pilot provided an opportunity for HCC to strategically revisit the site and unlock wider regeneration potential.

The project also aimed to:

• reduce public sector revenue costs; and
• generate capital receipts through asset rationalisation and redevelopment (disposal of public sector land and assets).

Stantec was commissioned to prepare a spatial masterplan and undertake technical studies (e.g., transport, ecology) to assess housing potential and feasibility. A key workstream analysed demand and supply of public sector office accommodation, taking into account modern working patterns and identifying opportunities for rationalisation and co-location across the city centre. The accommodation study reviewed the needs of over 800 public employees within the zone of influence. The output provided confidence in the Earle House site's allocation and reaffirmed its potential to meet longstanding housing demand and support workforce retention.

The Colonial Street masterplan project is expected to deliver the following outputs:

• up to 225 new residential units (with potential to expand to 450 through wider land assembly)
• co-located public sector facilities and reduced public sector footprint
• high-quality green space and improved public realm.

Key activities and partner engagement

• HCC commissioned a Senior Development Manager from LCR Consultants to lead delivery and coordinate activity across partners.
• A Strategic Group was established, involving GPA, DWP, British Land, and internal HCC teams, to align decision-making, test scenarios and take a long-term outlook on public service needs.
• The project created a formal platform for collaboration and long-term thinking around the Colonial Street masterplan, strengthening relationships which were previously fragmented. The Public Sector Accommodation Study provided a shared evidence base to support strategic discussions on land use and future service provision.
• The needs of over 800 public sector employees were considered, including those employed by Humberside Police, NHS England, and HM Land Registry. This helped strengthen relationships with central government departments and laid the groundwork for future joint working opportunities.

Impact assessment

Strategic impacts

• Accelerated delivery of the Colonial Street masterplan: The Public Sector Accommodation Study confirmed Earle House's potential for housing and public sector workspace, encouraging GPA to explore land release and assembly. This would increase site capacity and improve development viability. In addition, technical studies, including assessments of infrastructure, ecology, and transport, have helped to de-risk the site and make it more attractive to investors.
• Meeting the city’s housing targets: The Local Plan had allocated 150 homes to the core site, but feasibility work identified capacity for up to 225 homes – significantly increasing development potential. With broader land assembly, this could rise to 450 – contributing significantly to Hull’s goal of 2,500 new homes in the city centre. The project also engaged NHS partners to consider key worker housing needs, which will inform future development plans.
• Alignment with wider strategies: The project has aligned closely with Hull’s emerging City Centre Vision, which was developed in parallel. The vision proposes around 1,000 residential units around the Colonial Street site. The masterplan directly contributes to achieving that broader vision.

Operational impacts

• Shift-to place-based integrated planning: The project has helped to shift how HCC approaches spatial planning. Previously, Colonial Street was seen as a standalone site, but the project reinforced the need to consider adjacent sites in a more integrated way.
• Pipeline development: The Public Sector Accommodation Study used ‘core, flex, and tail’ analysis to identify a pipeline of public sector sites suitable for disposal and redevelopment opportunities across the city.
• Revival of local governance structures: The pilot has accelerated the revival of the OPE Board for Hull and East Riding, which will oversee future disposals and strategic opportunities across the region.

Something that came out of this project is thinking about how we avoid…bringing sites forward without considering other nearby sites” 

Place Pilot stakeholder

Sustaining impact

The project has created a renewed sense of shared ownership for the Colonial Street vision amongst local and central government partners, strengthening joint working and shared commitment. Stakeholders valued the flexibility of the Place Pilot model, which allowed them to test new approaches to partnership working. Whilst many felt the 18-month timeframe was too short to deliver meaningful impact, the pilot successfully laid the groundwork for longer-term change. The revived OPE delivery board will ensure sustained momentum, bringing partners together to coordinate disposals and explore strategic opportunities.

In the timescale of 18 months… we started something really strong. If we did it again, we would probably have more of a look at what we can realistically achieve in 18 months” 

Place Pilot stakeholder

Key enablers of success

• Championing from central government: While internal momentum was supported by the backing of HCC’s Chief Executive, Stakeholders agreed that central government engagement was positively driven by Mark Chivers, the Government Chief Property Officer (CPO). A joint site visit with a range of public sector partners, led by the CPO, was viewed as a key moment to aligning efforts around a shared goal.
• Dedicated resource and strategic engagement: Appointing LCR added essential capacity and expertise to drive delivery. Their role in coordinating activity, managing milestones, and sustaining momentum was vital.
  Cross-sector collaboration: The Strategic Group brought together core public sector landowners such as GPA and DWP and enabled structured engagement. Over time, partners became more aligned around the masterplan’s direction, fostering synergy that had previously been missing.
• Broad-based engagement and service planning: The comprehensive Public Sector Accommodation Study helped frame the masterplan and clarified which assets should be considered as part of the redevelopment. Engagement went beyond core landowners to involve police, fire services, and other public bodies, building a comprehensive view of service needs and opportunities for co-location or rationalisation.

Barriers, challenges and solutions

• Stakeholder engagement: Achieving early strategic alignment between local and central government was difficult. Government departments were expected to engage quickly but received little advanced briefing and had competing priorities. Better upfront communication about central government’s role in the pilot would have supported earlier buy-in.
• Senior leadership: Engaging senior HCC leaders was at times challenging, due to competing business pressures, creating uncertainty around key decisions despite ongoing operational progress. The new OPE Board is expected to help by offering an escalation route and strategic oversight.
• Maintaining momentum: Keeping partners engaged during slow project phases was difficult due to limited visible progress. While newsletters from HCC’s Chief Executive were issued, officers were stretched across other priorities, making sustained engagement challenging.
• Data sharing: Access to up-to-date asset data (plans, ownership, etc.) was slow and fragmented, underscoring the need for a more coordinated, centralised approach. However, partners remained broadly willing to collaborate, with most delays stemming from internal organisational barriers.

Lessons learned, legacy and next steps

Lessons learned

• Secure early strategic alignment with central government and senior local leaders: Providing upfront clarity on roles, expectations, and escalation routes helps avoid delays, builds buy-in, and supports timely decision-making.
• Data needs were underestimated: Initial assumptions about existing asset data proved overly optimistic. At the outset, it was assumed that there was already sufficient information to underpin the masterplan. Deeper data analysis would have strengthened early decision-making and accelerated delivery.
• Importance of dedicated leadership: The full-time programme manager played a vital role in coordinating delivery, maintaining momentum, and acting as a central contact point for partners.
• Sharing best practice across pilots: Some stakeholders wanted more consistent mechanisms for sharing learning across pilot areas (e.g., on land assembly, viability, service integration). Others felt that early comparisons could have constrained local ambitions.

Legacy

The project has left Hull in a stronger and more informed position about the site’s future. A detailed masterplan and several feasibility studies has improved understanding of site potential, viability constraints, and wider opportunities.

We’re now…actively speaking to all partners about how we can look at our assets jointly.”

Place pilot stakeholder

Importantly, the project has strengthened collaboration with central government and supported a more integrated approach to asset management. Partner confidence in Hull’s ability to lead place-based regeneration has grown, demonstrated by the upcoming OPE forum on 18 July, where 15 partners are expected to attend. This session will explore broader opportunities for joint working, informed by the core and flex analysis of public sector assets.

The pilot has also merged and revived the OPE Boards for Hull and East Riding, bringing renewed momentum and focus after a period of limited activity, with growing interest in involving new partners in future delivery.

Next steps

The site still faces a persistent viability gap, a common issue across major development projects in Hull. Although expected, it remains a significant hurdle to moving from planning to delivery. The project has helped position HCC more strongly to address this challenge by producing a detailed and technically supported masterplan.

The next phase for the scheme will involve securing a development partner and further analysis to address the remaining viability gap.

Ongoing momentum for the scheme will rely on consistent resourcing and leadership. HCC has committed to funding programme management beyond the pilot phase, but long-term success will require continued capacity to drive forward the masterplan.

Project overview – accessible and integrated public services

• The Barking Riverside project focused on planning two new social infrastructure hubs in South Barking, aligned with large-scale housing growth in Barking Riverside and Thames Road.
• It brought together Barking Riverside Ltd, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham council and NHS partners to develop early-stage proposals supported by asset mapping, a Social Infrastructure Growth Strategy and community engagement.
• The pilot enabled coordinated planning for social infrastructure to support future growth, positioning it as a central driver of sustainable, place-based development.
• It created space for strategic conversations on how infrastructure can unlock viability and drive land value uplift in regeneration areas with delivery challenges.
• Existing relationships between partners enabled rapid mobilisation and strong collaboration throughout the project.
• The project provided dedicated resource to focus on infrastructure feasibility, assess viability, and develop an evidence base for delivery - helping to clarify site priorities and inform sequencing decisions.
• It also improved integration between service planning and place-making, giving NHS and local authority partners a clearer understanding of respective organisational constraints such as leasing and governance models.
• While viability remains a key challenge, partners are now clearer on what is required to de-risk delivery and are better placed to make the case for flexible investment approaches.
• Key outputs are already informing engagement with investment partners and central government (MHCLG), with a clear focus on de-risking delivery and prioritising sustainable development.
• The newly established NorthEast London Land Board offers a lasting framework to support coordinated public estate delivery, joint funding bids, and alignment with the NHS Integrated Care System geography. It also feeds into the wider London Land Board, enabling strategic coordination across borough boundaries.

Overview

The £75,000 project brought together Barking Riverside Limited, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (the Council), and NHS partners to assess the social infrastructure needs for two key growth sites in South Barking: Barking Riverside and Thames Road. The aim was to align infrastructure planning with anticipated large-scale housing growth.

While Barking Riverside already had an active development and delivery programme in place, the pilot focused on developing concept-stage proposals for two social infrastructure hubs in Barking Riverside and Thames Road. This work included feasibility testing, early financial analysis, and assessment of how public sector land and assets could support long-term community needs.

Context and key aims

The project is aligned to the overarching theme that emerged from the North-East London Place Pilot – a focus on social infrastructure planning, funding and delivery alongside housing and population growth. South Barking is currently characterised by low-quality industrial land, with limited community infrastructure and few amenities. Partners recognised that for residential-led regeneration to be viable, social infrastructure, such as schools, health centres, parks and public realm, would need to be considered early in the process. Without these foundations, it would be difficult to attract future residents and by extension, private developer interest.

The project aimed to:

• support coordinated planning and delivery of social infrastructure to meet current and future community needs
• identify opportunities for pooled resources, partnership working, and phased delivery
• develop a Social Infrastructure Growth Strategy to guide long-term investment and collaboration
• strengthen governance and partnership frameworks across public sector and community organisations.

Key activities and partner engagement

• A core partnership group was established to lead delivery, building on the existing Barking Riverside Health and Wellbeing Hub governance structure. This included Barking Riverside Ltd, the Council and NHS partners. Feasibility and analysis work was supported by specialist consultants.
• Funding was allocated across three key activities: data analysis and mapping of assets, development of Social Infrastructure Growth Strategy, and project-specific development including design options and community engagement. These activities provided a comprehensive review of existing and planned social infrastructure in relation to population growth forecasts, helping to inform early concept proposals.
• Asset mapping revealed a cluster of land owned by public bodies including local authorities, education trusts, and NHS bodies, with potential to package these to support aligned infrastructure and phased delivery.
• Open dialogue across the partnership enabled creative problem-solving in response to viability and land value challenges. The pilot provided a space to explore how infrastructure could drive change in the area - boosting land values, attracting developer interest, and supporting high-quality placemaking in locations with limited current viability.

We’re trying to solve housing challenges on land that’s more valuable as industrial than residential. The question is which piece of infrastructure helps shift the values...business as usual doesn’t work here, we need to be creative”

Place Pilot stakeholder

Impact assessment

Strategic impacts

• Coordinated planning for growth: The project successfully delivered on its aim to enable coordinated planning for social infrastructure in South Barking, supporting future housing and population growth. In doing so, it positioned social infrastructure as a central driver of sustainable, place-based development.
• Strengthened local partnerships: The project supported more joined-up strategic conversations at the borough level. For example, Be First (the Council’s regeneration arm) used the pilot to convene partners and explore innovative solutions to unlock delivery and drive the scheme forward.

Operational impacts

• Targeted resource for feasibility and coordination: The pilot provided dedicated resource and capacity to focus on key infrastructure questions. This included mapping social infrastructure, conducting viability assessments, and engaging with schools, NHS partners, and local communities. The work helped build an understanding of the area’s infrastructure challenges and priorities and generated a robust evidence base on how to fund and sequence social infrastructure alongside housing delivery in a constrained financial context.
• Improved integration of service planning and place-making: The pilot enhanced mutual understanding between partners at the service delivery level. NHS stakeholders used the opportunity to explain internal systems, such as lease arrangements and governance structures, helping to clarify operational constraints. This cross-sector dialogue supported more informed collaboration and enabled NHS partners to better understand how their assets relate to surrounding development activity - improving the alignment of service planning with broader place-making objectives.
• Establishment of the North-East London OPE partnership: Building on the original Place Pilot Steering Group, the pilot led to the creation of the North-East London Partnership - a more formalised governance structure for public estate owners across the area. The Board creates opportunities for collaborative funding bids and strategic alignment with the NHS Integrated Care Board geography. It will also feed into the wider London Land Board, offering a platform to identify shared priorities, coordinate interventions, and escalate delivery challenges.

It [the pilot] gave us the license to resource [through funding and dedicated support] answering these specific questions and prioritise these challenges [around social infrastructure provision]” 

Place Pilot stakeholder

Sustaining impact

The outputs from these workstreams are already being used to shape live discussions with MHCLG and investment partners. While viability remains a key challenge, partners are now clearer on what is required to de-risk delivery and are better placed to make the case for flexible investment approaches. Importantly, the project has enabled the centring of social infrastructure development, which will result in a more sustainable development overall.

The new NEL OPE partnership provides an enduring mechanism for public landowners to carry this work forward and coordinate strategic delivery, bid for funding, and align investment strategies. It also links into wider pan-London governance via the London Land Board.

Key enablers of success

Strong existing partnerships: A key success factor was the strength of pre-existing relationships between organisations. Many partners had a history of collaboration, which built trust and enabled the pilot to move quickly into delivery. This foundation allowed for open conversations, a shared understanding of priorities, and regular progress meetings that helped to maintain momentum.

Clear, focused scope: By concentrating on specific infrastructure challenges the pilot provided a clear and manageable scope (within the timeframe and budget). This helped partners focus their efforts and deliver tangible outputs.

Inclusive stakeholder engagement: Involving both senior decision-makers and operational officers was a key success of the project. This approach enabled a more comprehensive understanding of delivery challenges and helped partners navigate organisational complexities.

Supportive national policy environment: Increased emphasis on place-based working at the national level reinforced the value of local collaboration and created a supportive backdrop for the pilot’s objectives.

Barriers, challenges and solutions

Compressed delivery timelines: While the project avoided major delivery issues, the pilot’s short timeframe created operational pressures. Mobilising teams and commissioning expert support took time, leaving a relatively tight window for delivery.

Balancing land use and local need: A central challenge was determining the best public land use in a borough facing both high deprivation and rapid growth. Stakeholders had to weigh priorities like affordability, housing delivery, and demographic need, all of which shaped conversations about infrastructure and place-making.

Cross-organisational knowledge gaps: Despite improvements through the project, limited understanding of how different public bodies, especially NHS Trusts, make asset-related decisions remained a barrier. These gaps can slow collaborative planning and underline the need for continued relationship-building.

Lessons learned, legacy and next steps

Lessons learned

• Early alignment and relationship-building: Strong pre-existing partnerships in Barking Riverside helped accelerate delivery, but stakeholders agreed that early alignment on objectives is essential. Taking time upfront to clarify shared priorities and governance arrangements was key to ensuring smooth collaboration, particularly when multiple public sector stakeholders are involved.
• Getting the right people in the room: A major enabler of success was involving both senior decision-makers and operational officers. This ensured a more rounded understanding of delivery barriers and helped navigate organisational complexities.
• National policy alignment added weight: The pilot benefited from national momentum around place-based working. This broader policy context gave local partners additional momentum to pursue strategic coordination.

Legacy

Locally, the project has embedded social infrastructure more firmly in the Barking Riverside and Thames Road development. It supported more informed decisions about land use and has helped shape a long-term approach to sequencing development and infrastructure delivery.

Next steps

The Council will lead the formation of the new North-East London Land Board, supported by remaining Place Pilot programme management funds. This will formalise the governance structure and provide a platform for strategic collaboration.

While future progress will depend on funding and site viability, the pilot has equipped partners with a clearer strategic vision, stronger working relationships, and an improved evidence base, enabling faster mobilisation when opportunities for delivery emerge.

The local authority’s continued leadership will be critical to maintaining momentum, building on the foundations laid by the pilot to embed long-term, place-based collaboration.

Project overview – accelerating delivery

• The Derby Station Gateway project enabled public sector asset planning and the potential co-location of offices, including the new Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters.
• It aimed to unlock regeneration by leveraging Derby’s strong rail cluster, assessing the viability of a national Rail Campus.
• The Place Pilot funding accelerated the project timeline by at least six months, enabling early design work and business case development for the GBR HQ.
• Derby’s clear city priorities and established strategy allowed for swift mobilisation of funding opportunities and ensured strong partner alignment.
• The project catalysed wider stakeholder collaboration through inclusive meetings and a high-profile launch event with 280 stakeholders, raising Derby’s rail sector ambitions and sustaining momentum despite external uncertainties.
• The project has strengthened collaboration among local and central government partners, improving insight into workspace needs and shared opportunities.

The work has linked the GBR HQ plans with wider Station Gateway regeneration, demonstrating how strategic estate planning can drive economic growth and unlock public land value.

Overview

The Derby Station Gateway project focused on unlocking regeneration in the Station Gateway area through strategic planning of public sector assets, including the potential co-location of offices such as the new Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters.

Allocated £110,000 of OPE Place Pilot funding, the project explored the viability of a new national Rail Campus, leveraging Derby’s already significant rail industry presence.
Derby City Council (DCC) led the project, working closely with the established HS2 / Station Gateway Working Group which includes London and Continental Railways (LCR), the East Midlands Development Company (EMDC), and consultancy support. The project aimed to position the GBR headquarters as a catalyst for wider regeneration, potentially attracting up to 130 rail-related organisations and significantly boosting Derby’s economic profile. To oversee future development, a dedicated GBR HQ Project Board is planned.

Context and key aims

Derby’s successful bid to host the new GBR HQ presents a major opportunity to revitalise the Station Gateway area and better connect it with the city centre. The area’s strong

rail heritage and existing industry presence provide a foundation to attract further investment, create new public sector office space, and regenerate a historically underutilised part of the city.
Building on an existing masterplan and Interim Planning Guidance (IPG) developed through the HS2 Growth Strategy in partnership with LCR and the EMDC, the project assessed how co-location of rail-related public sector organisations could support wider economic development, housing delivery, and place-making within the Gateway. With much of the land in the area consolidated in public ownership, the project aimed to optimise public sector investment by improving efficiency, maximising the value of public assets, and unlocking large-scale housing and commercial development.

Key activities and partner engagement

• The project assessed current public sector land ownership and occupiers in the Station Gateway area, including key sites like Midland House (a Department for Transport (DfT) asset), St Andrews House, and the Royal Mail site.
• The project assessed public sector rail-related organisations as potential co-locators with the GBR HQ. This included co-developing a vision for GBR HQ with the GBR Transition Team, incorporating co-working, collaboration, and innovation spaces.
• Engagement extended to a wider group of rail-related public bodies such as Network Rail, Rail Delivery Group, Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), and London and Continental Railways (LCR) to explore their potential participation in and management of the HQ and associated facilities.
• A key output was a feasibility study outlining site options, design alternatives, and potential investment and operating models, which will support a full business case for the GBR HQ development.
• Stakeholders highlighted strong partnership working from the start, facilitated by the existing HS2/Station Gateway Working Group that brought together local and national stakeholders.
• Engagement was expanded through events like the Rail Campus Derby launch event, attended by 280 sector stakeholders and funded by the Place Pilot, helping to build shared ambition and momentum.

Impact assessment

Strategic impacts

• Established a new Rail Campus concept: The project formally launched the idea of a national Rail Campus in Derby, which had not previously been part of formal planning. It enabled partners to explore potential locations, develop outline design concepts, and define a commercial model for how the GBR headquarters could catalyse wider growth, including via co-working and innovation spaces.
• Raised Derby’s rail sector profile: The Rail Campus launch event, attended by 280 industry stakeholders and supported by Place Pilot funding, significantly raised the city’s profile as a national rail hub and built momentum amongst stakeholders.
• Strengthened cross-sector partnerships: The project enhanced collaboration between partners including DCC, LCR, EMDC, DfT, GBR transition team, and other key national partners by providing insight into workspace needs and opportunities for shared use.

The rail campus launch wouldn’t have happened without …[Place Pilot] support; we just didn’t have the funding…it was very high profile with a lot of media presence and accelerated the whole discussion”

Place Pilot stakeholder

Operational impacts

Business case development: The pilot helped Derby articulate a clear vision and business case for the GBR HQ in time for government decision-making, accelerating the project from ambition to tangible planning and investment readiness.

Aligned regeneration and estate planning: By linking the GBR HQ vision with the broader Station Gateway regeneration, the project demonstrated how strategic public estate planning can reinforce Derby’s long-term economic growth priorities and unlock greater value from public land assets.

Sustaining impact

The business case and design work completed through the pilot have positioned the city to act quickly once the GBR HQ location is formally confirmed, helping to maintain momentum. However, the biggest challenge to sustaining this progress remains the uncertainty surrounding the timing of national government announcements.

Key enablers of success

Inclusive early engagement: Hosting large, inclusive meetings early on brought key public sector estate partners together, fostering a better understanding of each other’s roles, building trust, and accelerating collaboration and joint decision-making.

Flexible funding: The Place Pilot’s adaptable funding allowed DCC to focus on its priorities without restrictive parameters often attached to central government grants. This enabled resource to be targeted where it could add most value, such as supporting the crucial Rail Campus launch event to build momentum and stakeholder engagement.

Upfront funding certainty: Stakeholders valued receiving funding upfront rather than in arrears, which provided financial certainty and helped speed up project activities.

Barriers, challenges and solutions

• Governance alignment issues: Minor challenges occurred in aligning governance structures, mainly due to unclear communication between the Place Pilot and the existing One Public Estate (OPE) programme. However, once communication was strengthened and Derby City Council officially engaged in the Place Pilot, these issues were resolved without significantly hindering progress.

Lessons learned, legacy and next steps

Lessons learned

• Broad engagement: Early, inclusive engagement with a wide range of public sector partners was key to building shared understanding and collaboration, helping clarify roles and priorities from the start.
• Clear prioritisation: Derby City Council’s clear understanding of local priorities and an already well-defined project scope enabled rapid mobilisation, allowing effective allocation of funding and strong partner alignment and commitment.
• Importance of long-term vision for projects: The experience underscored the need for a sustained, long-term vision for projects of this scale, as tangible outcomes typically take considerable time to emerge and can make it difficult to maintain momentum.

Legacy

The project delivered a clear understanding of the site’s opportunities, constraints, key costs, and potential uses, enabling the team to move quickly into the next design phase once Great British Railways (GBR) confirms this as their headquarters. Stakeholders noted that without the support of the Place Pilot, this preparation would have been delayed by at least six months. The Derby Place Pilot significantly accelerated the regeneration programme, generating momentum around the Rail Campus and broader inner-city development ambitions.

“The project has done wonders to accelerate [the GBR] programme, it’s given a buzz and attention around the campus and city, which previously we didn’t have”

Place Pilot stakeholder

A clear governance structure is now established, with the One Public Estate programme ready to facilitate ongoing project activities. In addition, partners continue to work closely through established forums such as the HS2/Station Gateway Working Group and the Rail Forum, which remain active in championing Derby’s rail sector. While the full extent of impact will be unlocked following confirmation of the GBR HQ location, the project has already delivered key impacts in terms of strengthening long-term partner collaboration.

Next steps

To sustain momentum, Derby plans to maintain strong collaboration across public, private, and rail sector stakeholders, continuing to leverage the partnerships formed during the pilot.
Although delays in national announcements pose challenges, Derby’s preparation means it can swiftly progress with design and delivery once the GBR HQ location is confirmed.